


Bandages

by Doctor_Discord



Series: Dad AU [16]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - High School, Blood, Bullied Host, Poor Host, Service Dogs, Yancy to the Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-26 23:47:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21382582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctor_Discord/pseuds/Doctor_Discord
Summary: When the Host is bullied at school, he has an unexpected savior.
Series: Dad AU [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1471703
Comments: 36
Kudos: 215





	Bandages

The Host wandered out into the school's courtyard when the lunch bell rang, cringing at the noise of the other kids as loud chatter filled the halls of the high school. He had special permission to eat outside, mainly because of Chica, but also to give himself privacy to change his bandages if needed. Unfortunately, he's run out of bandages yesterday, and had forgot to restock his backpack, and there was _no way _he was going back in the building to look for Dr. Iplier. He could always send Chica, but...

The Host sighed, dumping his backpack on the ground and propping his cane up against the wall before sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall. Chica immediately climbed into his lap, panting in his face and licking his cheek. The Host spluttered and laughed, trying to shove her away, but she wouldn't budge. "No - _no! _Chica! Come on!"

Tail thumping against the grass, Chica finally moved off of him, instead lying down next to him with her head in his lap. Idly petting her with one hand, the Host rummaged around in his backpack with his other. He grinned, holding out a big dog treat, and Chica was quick to snatch it, holding it in place with two paws as she gnawed on it. "Good girl, Chica." She gave a little 'boof' noise in response, tail wagging harder.

With another sigh, the Host dug out his own lunch, _delighting _in the tell-tale smell of cinnamon that meant that Bim had made his cinnamon cookies at some point. He leaned his head back against the wall, one hand stroking Chica as he ate, and basking in the precious hour of peace and quiet he had before he had to go back inside. Out here, he could hear the birds, could hear Chica's little growls as she wrestled with her treat, could feel the fresh air. Inside, all he could hear was his own swirling pulse as he panicked from auditory overstimulation. He preferred to be outside, over everything else. Well, except over just staying home, but he was already so anti-social, Dark refused to enable him by homeschooling him. Which made sense. Didn't mean the Host still wouldn't bitch about it. 

He started a bit when Chica barked quietly, still playing with her treat, and he choked on his sandwich when she suddenly raced away, presumable after the treat she apparently tossed across the courtyard. He laughed at her antics, struggling to swallow so he could call her back over to him.

"Hey! I told you he came out here!"

The Host jumped, head whipping in the direction of the voices. There shouldn't be anyone else out here, the other kids were supposed to stay in the building! Yet he could hear three pairs of footsteps over the stone path that led through the courtyard, and he scrambled to stand. "No one else is allowed out here. The three other kids should go back inside."

All that met his words was a chorus of snickering, and the Host shifted, starting to get uncomfortable. He could hear Chica growling nearby, slowly getting louder as she inched back over to him. The same kid that spoke before opened his mouth again. "Don't worry about that! We just want to talk to you."

The Host shifted again, back against the wall, and his panic grew, tone guarded. "...Why?"

"Because you're the biggest mystery in the whole school!" That was a new voice, and the Host's head whipped to face it, head tilted to the side a little. "No one's ever seen under those bandages. There's bets all over the school as to what you're hiding."

The Host's blood ran cold. "_Trust _the Host when he says they _do not want to know_."

"Then there's _that_." Another new voice, accounting for the third pair of footsteps the Host heard earlier. "You talk all funny, in third person. Why?"

"It's no one's business but the Host's and his family's," the Host spat. "Leave him alone! Go away!"

Chica barked sharply, and the Host heard one of the intruding boys gasp and flinch, but they didn't back down as the first boy spoke again. "Come on! You can't blame us for being curious! Just - show us what's beneath the bandages and we'll be on our way!"

"_No!_" The Host pressed himself flush against the wall. "Go away! They really _don't _want to see underneath!"

"Yes we really do!"

And then they lunged.

The Host tried to fight them off, but he was cornered. He slapped at them with one hand, covering his bandages with the other, but it was three against one, and he was _blind_. It was easy to pin his wrist to the wall and pry his other from his face, and by then the Host's bandages were beginning to soak in tears. He struggled beneath them, screaming for Chica, for them to _get off, _but they didn't listen. Chica, however, _did_, teeth sinking into the leg of one of the kids, and he cried out and swore, letting go of the Host's wrists as he was dragged away by the furious, protective service dog. Unfortunately, there were still two boys pinning him to the wall, and even as the Host shoved and scratched and kicked at them, the one he figured was the ring leader still managed to get a handful of his bandages.

"Now, let's see what you're hiding."

And he ripped them away.

"_NO, DON'T LOOK!_" The Host tried to cover his empty eye sockets with his free hand, but he still heard the horrified gasps as they backed away. His left socket stung, the sensitive flesh having been scratched by the boy's fingernail as he tore his bandages away. As a result, the Host couldn't tell if the wetness covering his hands was tears or blood. He sunk back to the ground, curling into a ball as he sobbed and shook, hardly aware as Chica pressed up against his side and whined, nosing at his cheek.

"Oh my God, you're a _freak!_" The ring leader laughed, though it was shaky. Seeing gaping holes in someone's face where there should be _eyes_ wasn't exactly something one forgot. "An eyeless _freak! _No _wonder _you don't have any friends! Just your dumb brothers!"

The Host didn't bother to respond, didn't think he _could_ as sobs wracked his body, forehead pressed to the grass with his hands clamped tight over his sockets. He leaned into Chica, flinching when he heard one of the boys shift. "Hey, let's get him sitting up. Let's get his freak face spread all over the school!"

The Host tensed, and a hand gripped his shoulder. He heard Chica growl, and -

"_HEY!_"

The Host flinched into a tighter ball at the shout, the voice familiar, but he was too shaken to bother trying to process who it was. He stiffened at the sounds of a fight, someone cried out, and then there was more shouting. _"GO ON! GET OUTTA_ _HERE!_" There was a sound of scrambling feet against the stone, a door slamming, and then a hand on his shoulder again. This one was gentle, a little hesitant, but friendly enough. "Hey...uh, youse okay?"

The Host started, shooting upright with his hands still firmly over his sockets. "...Yancy?"

"Yeah, uh, I-I saw them comin' out here. When I heard youse screamin', I figured I'd help. Do...youse need help?"

The Host nodded shakily, leaning back against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest. "...Can Yancy help the Host to the nurse? Then go find Dr. Iplier? The Host doesn't have anymore bandages on him, but Dr. Iplier should."

"Yeah, of course. Here." Yancy helped the Host to his feet, and the Host heard him suck in a breath. "Youse's _bleeding_, everywhere! Is that...that normal?"

The Host simply shrugged, his voice mumbled and soft. "They...the Host got scratched. He needs to see the nurse, the Host is hemophilic."

"Well uh, I dunno what that means, but it don't sound good." Still, Yancy hesitated. "...Can I see?"

The Host stiffed. With Yancy living at the manor now, he was bound to see at some point or another. So, the Host shifted one hand to the side, just enough for Yancy to catch a glimpse before he covered it back up. "Car accident," he said softly, before Yancy could ask. "When the Host was about a year and half old. When the windows shattered, a bunch of glass got in his eyes, too much, they were unsalvagable. So they were surgically removed. Less chance of the Host getting an infection so close to his brain." He drew a shuddering breath. "S'why he speaks...funny, too. A trauma thing. Coping mechanism."

"Oh." Yancy swallowed. "Lemme pack youse's stuff, then we'll get youse to the nurse."

The Host heard him crouch down, rustling around in the Host's scattered lunch, and the Host sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. He could feel the blood trickling between his fingers, running down his arm like it was still trying to follow his veins, and he couldn't help the small noise that escaped him. His injured socket throbbed. His head throbbed in time, he was feeling a bit sick, but he didn't say anything. He jumped a little when he felt something press against his leg, but then Chica was whining softly, and the Host managed a tiny smile. Adjusting his hands so only one was covering both sockets, he reached down with his newly freed hand to pet her slowly, soothing her as much as it was soothing him.

He heard Yancy stand, and he lifted his head to face him. "Come on, let's go. I'll make sure no body looks atcha."

The Host chuckled, handing his can to Yancy before he let his fingers find Chica's harness, letting her guide him a long. He hesitated before reentering the school, turning to Yancy. "Yancy?"

"Hm?"

The Host smiled. "Thanks."

Yancy laughed. "No problem. Any time. Now let's get youse all fixed up, huh?"

**Author's Note:**

> _I love these beans_, I hope I got Yancy's accent right! I hope ye enjoyed!
> 
> Tumblr: doctordiscord123.tumblr.com


End file.
